Package supports



July 26, 1960 H. s. MEYERS PACKAGE SUPPORTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 24, 1958 INVENTOR f/ar'o/a 5. Meyer's BY Yh :Qy g

ATTORNEY July 26, 1960 H. s. MEYERS 2,946,455

PACKAGE SUPPORTS Filed July 24, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 O C) O AZ- -ZQ J O L J l 30 if 1 I I .22 26 g; I

0 4 I Q -54 i g 1.1;: I I 1 A 3? INVENTOR flaw o/a 5. Meyers I W G t BY fi 7 ATTORNEY Unitedstates Fatent ;O

dorf Paper Products Company, St. Paul, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Filed July 24, 1958, S81. No. 750,741

Claims. (Cl. 211-49) This invention relates to an improvement in package supports and deals particularly with an apparatus useful in holding a series of substantially flat packages in an upwardly inclined display position.

Sliced meat and similar products are now commonly being packaged in packages including a hat backing panel and a plastic sheeting marginally secured to the backing panel and extending over the product. Due to the fact that the backing panel is often substantially larger than the product itself, packages of this type do not stack well when piled in an open top display refrigerator. Many different products are packaged in similar types of packages. In the display of these products it is usually I160- essary to have a separate stack of each individual product so that the customer may view the entire variety of products and select the right one. As a result much room is required in the display case if the goods are to be adequately displayed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple support capable of holding a series of packages in an upwardly inclined position. When supported in this manner, the customer may readily view the various products and see the description of these products which usually appearson the upper marginal portion of the backing card. Furthermore, if it is desired, groups of similar packages may be separated from other groups by merely spacing the groups slightly in the supporting means. As a result, two or three packages of a less popular product may be displayed with a larger number of packages of more popular products with a very material saving in space. When supported in the display, the various packages are also more effectively displayed.

A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a display which may comprise merely .a hollow tubular body having a series of parallel spaced slots in the upper surface thereof, these slots being of proper size to accommodate the lower edge of the packaged products. One or more package backing members are attached to the tubular base by extending the lower portion of the backing member through one of the slots, the lower end of the package backing member engaging between the bottom and top panels of the tubular base. When thus engaged, the package backing member is supported at an angle and packages placed in the parallel slots may lean against the backing member and be supported thereby.

A feature of the present invention resides in the simplicity and low cost of the display. In preferred form, the tubular base comprises a creased sheet having parallel marginal edges which are folded back upon the center portion and secured insurface contact therewith along the line of fold. When opened up, double thickness side walls are provided which support a false bottom panel and the marginal edges of the panel are interlocked to form a tubular construction. Accordingly, the display can be shipped in a flat condition and erected at the point of use.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the simplicity of construction of the package backing member. In preferred form, this device comprises a generally U-shaped piece of wire having the extremities thereof bent into right angular parallel relation from the legs of the U. These angularly turned ends are inserted through one of the slots in the tubular base and engage between the bottom and top panels of the tubular base to be locked in an upwardly and rearwardly inclined position.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be morerclearly and fully set forth in the following specifications and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the package support showing a few packages supported thereby.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view transversely through the display device in erected position.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the package backing members for holding the packages in an upwardly inclined position.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the package support. 7

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic View of the blank from which the tubular base member is formed.

Figure 7 is a bottom plan view of the tubular base portion in flat folded position. p v

In general, the package support includes tubular base portion which .is indicated in general by the letter A and one or more package backing members illustrated in general by the letter B. The number of package backing members is somewhat of a matter of choice and may depend to some extent on the number of varieties of packages which are to be displayed.

The tubular base portion A is formed of the blank illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings. This blank includes a top panel 10 which is hingedly connected along parallel fold lines 11 and 12 to inner side wall panels 13 and 14. The inner side wallpanels 13 and 14 are foldably connected along fold lines 15 and 16 to outer side wall panels 17 and 19 respectively. It will be noted that the outer side wall panels 17 and 19 are substantially wider than the inner side wall panels 13 and 14. This arrangement acts to provide the side walls of a tubular body in a manner which will be later described.

Bottom wall panels 20 and 21 are foldably'connected to the lower'edges of the outer side wall panels 17 and 19 along parallel fold lines 22 and'23. The bottom wall panel 20 is marginally cut to provide a pair of projecting tongues 24 and 25 and an intermediate tongue 26. The areas between the tongues 24 and 26 and between the tongues 26 and 25 are cut to provide short locking tongues 27 and 29, there being short slits 30 on opposite sides of the tongue 27 and short slits 31 on opposite sides of the tongue 29. The bottom wall 21 is also pro-- vided with a pair of slits 32 extending inwardly from the marginal edge of the bottom panel 21 and at substantially right angles thereto. The bottom panel 21 is similarly provided with spaced slits 33 extending into the marginal edge thereof.

As will beevident from Figure 5 of the drawings, when the display is inuse, the slits '30 and 32 are folded into registry and lock the tongue 27 in place. Similarly the slits 33 register with the slits 31 to lock the tongue 29in position. 7 v

. The top panel 10 is connected along parallel fold lines 34 and 35 which intersect the fold lines 11 and =12 at right angles to end wall panels 36 and 37. Tuck flaps 39 and 40 are foldably connected to the end wall panels 36 and 37 along fold lines 41 and 42. The lower portions of the outer side walls 17 and 19 also have short flaps. The lower portion of the outer side wall 17 ad- Patented July 26, 1960 3 joining the fold line 22 is provided with short flaps 43 and 44 which are foldably connected to the ends of the side wall 17 along fold lines 45 and 46. Similar flaps 47 and 49 are connected to the lower edge of the outer side.

Wall 19 along fold lines 5t and 51.

A series of spaced slots 52 are provided inthe top panel 10, the slots preferably lying in parallel relation and being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the packages to be displayed. Preferably, in the interests of economy, the slots '52 extend the entire width of the top panel 10. Spaced openings 53 are provided in the bottom panel 20 and similar openings 54 are provided in the bottom panel 21- In forming the bottom portion of the display, adhesive is applied to the inner side walls 13 and 14 or to the upper rnarginal portions of the outer side walls 17 and 19 and the blank is folded along the fold lines 15 and 16 so that the bottom panels 20 and 21 lie in overlapping relation as indicated in Figure 7 of the drawings.

The base portions of the display are packed and shipped in this flat condition. When the display is to be used, the inner side Walls 13 and 14 are folded up into right angular relation to the top panel 10, the outer side walls 17 and 19 then extending downwardly beneath the level of the top panel The bottom panels 20 and 21 are next folded into overlapping relation and the tongues 27 and 29 are interlocked with the slots 32 and 33 in the bottom panel 21. The flaps 43 and 47 are then folded inwardly into a common plane, the end wall panel 36 is folded downwardly from the end of the top panel, and the tuck flap 39 inserted between the edges of the flaps 43 and 47 and the bottom panels. The opposite end is closed in a similar manner by folding the flaps 44 and 49 inwardly into a common plane, folding the end wall 37 downwardly from the top panel, and tucking the tuck flap 42 between the lower marginal edges of the flaps 44 and 49 and the upper surfaces of the. bottom panels 20 and 21.

The package backing members B are formed as best illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings. Obviously, the shape of the backing members may be varied without changing the invention. Each backing member is formed of a light wire rod bent to provide a pair of downwardly and outwardly diverging legs and 56 connected at their upper ends by a rounded connecting member 57. p The lower endof each of the legs 55 and 56 is bent into a substantially right angular relation from the leg to which it is attached to form parallel extremities 59 and 60. These extremities 59 and 60 may be inserted through any of the slots 52 in the top panel 10 so" that the juncture or points of bend between the legs and the extremities 59 and 60 may rest upon the bottom panels 29 and 21 while the forwardly projecting ends of these extremities engage beneath the top panel 10. When thus supported, the package backing members are supported in an upwardly and rearwardly inclined position as is best indicated in Figure l of the drawings.

The packages C are illustrative of a type of package which may be supported in the package support. Each of the packages C includes a backing or mounting panel 61 which is usually a rectangular panel of paperboard or the like. A plastic covering sheet 62 overlies and encloses the product and the marginal edges of the plastic covering sheet are sealed to the backing panel 61 to form a substantially air tight enclosure. In usual practice, the upper and ldwer marginal edges of the backing panels 61 are exposed and are printed to describe the product. When supported in the tubular base member A, the lower marginal edge of each backing panel 61 extends into a slot 52 and the rear panel 61 rests against the package backing member B. If the slots 52. are spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the packages C, a single package backing member B placed in the last slot of the series may hold an entire .tray of packages in display position. However, if packages containing more than one product is to be displayed, it is sometimes preferred to space the groups by leaving one of the slots vacant and using a difierent backing member B for each group of packages being displayed.

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described the principles of construction and operation of my package support, and while I'have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departingfrom the. spirit of myinve'ntion. i

Iclaim: e

l. A package support for displaying a series of packages including a hollow rectangular tubular member having closely spaced top and bottom members and connecting side walls, said topmember having transversely extending spaced parallel slots therein, package backing members extending through said slots and having a pair of spaced legs each adjoining a side wall and generally parallel leg extremities at substantially right angles to said legs, the junctures between said legs and leg extremities resting upon the upper surface of said bottom member and the ends of said leg extremities engaging the under surface of said top member.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which said legs converge upwardly and are joined at their upper ends.

3. The structure of claiml and in which the backing members are generally U-shaped in form, with the sides of the U forming said legs.

4. A folded package support including a top panel and relatively narrow inner side wall panels foldably connected along parallel lines and lying in spaced parallel planes, wider outer side wall panels foldably connected to the edges of said inner side wall panels and secured in face contact thereto, bottom panel portions foldably connected to-sa id outer-side wall panels and arranged in overlapping relation, said top panel having parallel spaced slots extending transversely of said fold lines, interlocking means on said bottom panel portions operable, when engaged, to hold the lower ends of said outer side walls in substantially parallel relation, whereby when said inner side walls are folded upwardly and inwardly .and said bottom panel portions are folded inwardly and interlocked, said side walls willbe held in parallel relationa V 3 5. The structure of claim 4 and including tuck flap means on the ends of said toppanel foldablybetween the lower ends of the outer side walls to assist in holding these outer side Walls from returning to flat folded position.

7 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,723,944 Marsh Aug. 6, 1929 2,013,085 Anderl Sept. 3, 1935 f 2,219,145 Wolf .Q. Oct. 27, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Netherlands of 1941 

